Educational Linguistics

The Educational Linguistics research group brings together researchers in Linguistics and in Language Education, focusing on the theme ‘language (in) education’ (see Hult, 2010).*

Research

We address questions that reflect different perspectives on language and language education, for example classroom interaction, subject-specific language practices, multimodality, language development and assessment. Our main areas of research are the following:

Criticality
Discourses and policy in education
Literacy
Multilingualism
Teaching and learning

This research group provides a venue for educational linguistic research across a range of different languages and is tied to the Department of Languages and the Department of Swedish Language. The research is aligned with the aims of Linnaeus University to provide high-quality research of immediate relevance to society as well as high-quality undergraduate and post-graduate education. Therefore, the research group is closely connected to pre-service and in-service teacher education and training at Linnaeus University. Several of the researchers in this group are part of local as well as external research networks, collaborating with researchers in cross-disciplinary projects at Linnaeus and other universities. There is also close collaboration with teachers in pre-schools, schools and at university.

Education

The Educational Linguistics research group is tied to the teacher education programmes, providing a resource for students through teaching, supervision and examination of degree projects. The research group also provides professional development opportunities for in-service teachers.

Activities

The group meets every other Tuesday morning at 9.30 over coffee for informal discussion of research as well as administrative and practical matters.

Seminars

EdLing has regular seminars that address a wide scope of research issues and include invited talks, reading seminars and work-in-progress seminars. For more information please see below.

EdLing seminars, autumn term 2026

1/9 13.15–15.00
Research seminar
Marie Källkvist & Justyna Legutko
Systematic literature reviews
Part I: Startålder för engelska i skolan: resultat
Part II: Systematic literature review methodology

15/9 13.30–14.30
Research seminar with invited speaker
Alastair Henry (Lund University)
Researching willingness to communicate in a migration context

10/3 13.15–15.00
Research seminar
Karin Rehman & Marie Källkvist
Svenska och engelska som förstaspråk, andraspråk och främmandespråk

13/10 13.15–15.00
Research seminar with invited speakers
Garth Stahl (University of Queensland) & Stig-Börje Asplund (Karlstad University)
Masculinities, literacy and identity work:
Part I: Reading across male generations
Part II: Creating positive spaces of learning: Literacy and identity work in DJ-ing and MC-ing

10/11 13.15–15.00
Research seminar with invited PhD student
Kristoffer Holmquist (Lund University)
Genredrag, röster och institutionella diskurser i universitetslärares kursguider

24/11 13.15–15.00
Research seminar with invited speaker
Malin Alkestrand (Department of Film and Literature)
Fantasylitteratur och ungdomsdystopier i skolans värdegrundsarbete: Begreppet didaktisk potential och dess användningsområden i litteraturdidaktisk forskning

8/12 13.15–15.00
Research seminar with invited speaker
Layal Wiltgren (Linköping University)
Polite exclusion: Formell inkludering och social exkludering

Previous seminars

The EdLing Day

We organise annual symposia on current research issues at Campus Växjö. The EdLing Day takes place in early/mid September. For more information please see below.

The EdLing Day 2026

On September 15, 2026, a symposium on ”What research methods do we use in Educational Linguistics?"

Program för EdLingdagen 2026_ENG.pdf

Previous EdLing Days

On September 23, 2025, a symposium on ”How do we integrate cognitive and social perspectices in research and teacher education?" Program, EdLing Day 2025.pdf
On September 19, 2023, a symposium on ”Disciplinary literacy in language subjects" is held. Invited speaker is associate professor Mary Macken-Horarik, the Australian Catholic University
Program, EdLing Day 2023 (pdf file)
20 September 2022, a symposium on "Writing in Psycholinguistic and Sociocultural Research: Theory and Practice" was held. Invited speakers were professor Synnøve Matre, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, professor Theresa Lillis, The Open University (UK), and Yvonne Knospe, Umeå University.
Program, EdLing Day 2022 (pdf file)
21 September 2021, on Disciplinary literacy. Invited speakers were professor Susanne Prediger, TU Dortmund University, and professor Zhihui Fang, University of Florida.
Program, EdLing Day 2021 (pdf file)
15 September 2020, on Discourses, ideologies and policy. Invited speaker was professor Caroline Kerfoot, Stockholm University.
Program, EdLing Day 2020 (pdf file)
3 September 2019, on Multilingualism. Invited speakers were professor Monica Axelsson, professor emeritus Kenneth Hyltenstam and professor Eduardo Mortimer.
Program, EdLing Day 2019 (pdf file)
11 September 2018, on Reading for Learning. Invited speakers were professor Tommaso Milani and professor Jenny W Folkeryd.
Program, EdLing Day 2018 (pdf file)
The first EdLing Day was held in August 2017 with a full-day programme devoted to presentations and discussions of on-going research.

* Hult, F. M. (2010). Theme-based research in the transdisciplinary field of educational linguistics. In F. M. Hult (Ed.), Directions and prospects for educational linguistics (pp. 19–32). New York: Springer.